Elevating

I love to cook, so I am a great fan of the cooking shows. It fascinates me how a chef can be given an unusual or "low-end" product and told to "elevate" it so it can be served in a fine dining restaurant… these shows remind me that no matter where we are in life, we can find some way to elevate ourselves, to pull ourselves forward on the path and into higher dimensions of consciousness.

In the bigger picture, elevating ourselves is about choosing the high road… being and doing our best at whatever task is in front of us….living with integrity…. making the most of every moment… and loving all of life, smiling through the pain, accepting what is… adapting to the unpredictable….basically, elevating is about applying spiritual principles to everyday life.

But elevating ourselves personally and spiritually isn't easy when the fabric of our lives really consists of a series of mundane tasks: making our morning tea or coffee, bathing, brushing our teeth, getting to and from work, preparing and eating our meals…. doing the laundry…. to name just a few…. and then there's the need to take care of business, working and tending to family and friends.

Still, there are some simple ways of elevating the activities that make up our daily lives.

Some examples:

lighting a candle at dinner

using a special body wash or bubble bath

putting flowers on the table

random acts of kindness

preparing a special meal for friends or family

learning from a conflict, listening when you'd like to shout back in the midst of a conflict

noticing your negative thoughts of yourself and others and thinking "higher", being more loving and caring in your reaction to others

Offering to the universe to bare your pain cheerfully to ease another's pain

Using household chores as a form of prayer and meditation – for example as you take out the garbage, you are visualizing yourself releasing some inner garbage… washing the floors can be about clearing your inner foundations….

I'm sure you can think of many, many more…. drop me a note and I'll add them to the list.

Elevating is all about the way we think about life, our attitude… a willingness to be in the moment… and make the most of every moment….